Chapter 8 Part 3
“…Ah.”
The first sense to return was hearing. The mutated creatures, empowered by the magic stone, stumbled and fell one by one. The tree that housed the magic stone also withered and died.
Aksion helped Elia, who was slumped against the tree roots, to her feet.
“Elia, are you alright?”
“Yes…” Elia nodded weakly. Aksion lifted her onto his horse.
“I’ll take care of the Spirit Master. Jacob, handle the cleanup.”
“Yes, sir.”
The swamp was in disarray, but it would no longer serve as a nest for the creatures. Elia’s consciousness began to fade.
* * *
When she opened her eyes again, she was back at Mahart Castle.
“…Where am I?”
The familiar bedroom greeted her. Her throat was parched. As she coughed dryly, a gentle hand supported her neck and poured water over her lips.
“Are you awake?”
“Yes. But…”
She distinctly remembered being in the swamp and shattering the magic stone. How did she end up in her bedroom?
“Elia, you’ve been unconscious for two days.”
“Two days?”
Elia was shocked. It made sense now that she was back at the castle. Aksion pulled a cord by the bed. In response, quick footsteps approached, and Risha entered the room.
“Oh, young madam, you’re awake! Do you know how worried I was? You said you were just going out for a bit!”
Considering she had collapsed for real after pretending to be sick, Risha’s reaction was understandable.
“I’m sorry, Risha.”
“Never mind me. Drink some more water, and I’ll get you some soup.”
Risha hurried out and soon returned with various soups and fruits. Elia managed to swallow a few spoonfuls of the thin soup. Despite being unconscious for so long, her body didn’t feel too bad.
“Please take it easy. Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.”
Even after repeatedly advising caution, Risha looked back several times before finally leaving.
‘It feels good to have someone worry about me.’
Elia felt a warm sense of gratitude, though she felt a little sorry for worrying Risha. She set the soup bowl aside. Aksion, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her the entire time, finally showed a more relaxed expression.
“I now understand what it feels like to have my heart drop.”
“I think I might have overdone it.”
Seeing his pale face made her feel guilty for being glad that someone cared about her. She had collapsed for a fundamentally different reason.
‘But I can’t tell him.’
The magic stone had revealed many things Elia hadn’t known.
‘There’s no doubt. The Sun Sword holds time.’
The artifact of time the goddess mentioned turned out to be the Sun Sword. The goddess’s words fit perfectly with the sword Elia had already held. If Elia’s guess was correct, the Sun Sword had accumulated all the time it had ever existed, including the time loop, making its power twice as potent.
‘If I can harness that power…’
She felt confident she could prevent the coming disaster. Elia clasped his hand.
“I’ll be more careful from now on, okay?”
She felt apologizing to Aksion was the first step.
‘If I were in his shoes… I’d be angry too.’
If she had told someone to be careful and they ended up collapsing, it would be a horrifying thought. Aksion still hadn’t answered. Growing anxious, Elia called his name softly.
“Aksion.”
As he lifted his head, she pressed a kiss to his forehead.
“I’m sorry for making you worry.”
A soft, cute sound accompanied her apology.
“…Really.”
Aksion looked surprised, then pulled her into a tight embrace.
“Just this once. Rest completely for at least a week.”
“Okay.”
Even a week felt long, but she didn’t say it out loud. Elia spent the entire day in his arms, eating fruit and resting.
As night fell, Aksion finally brought up the campaign.
“In two days, we’re having a party to celebrate the destruction of the magic stone. You don’t have to attend if you don’t want to.”
Though the campaign wasn’t completely over, removing the magic stone was a significant achievement. Despite Aksion’s reassurances, the thought of her being alone didn’t sit well with her.
“I think I’ll be able to attend by then. Honestly, I feel fine now.”
Aksion sighed softly at her words.
“Even if you feel fine, you don’t know what might happen if you move too much.”
“You made me promise to be careful for a week.”
When Elia smiled, he finally gave in and smiled back.
“Alright. The party will be held at the Elder Council building.”
“I haven’t been there yet.”
The Elders hadn’t attended her wedding. Their rule dictated they only participated in the patriarch’s marriage.
‘I’m glad I decided to go.’
It would be a gathering of all the Mahart family’s power.
Moreover,
“Aksion, that power you displayed then, was it holy power?”
Elia was certain that what had repelled the creatures wasn’t just sword energy but holy power.
‘He had never been able to use it, suppressed by darkness.’
In the past, after he had succumbed to darkness, there was no hope of him ever manifesting holy power.
“It seems so.”
Aksion nodded slowly.
“When did you start being able to use it?”
“That day was the first time. Something different surged within me.”
“Congratulations. You’ve now fulfilled the requirements of an heir.”
There was no longer any reason for the family to ignore him.
‘The Duke of Tartan must have witnessed it as well.’
They would have to acknowledge him as the heir now.
But the image of Tartan’s darkened hand kept nagging at her.
‘Is it an illness? Or…’
It seemed he was deliberately hiding his hand. Approaching him at the upcoming party might be a good idea.
* * *
Two evenings later, the back of the main castle was illuminated for the elders’ banquet hall. This event was held to honor the knights who had performed meritorious deeds and their lords. Elder Keanu praised Jacob.
“The Silver Knights have done an outstanding job.”
“It’s all thanks to the young lord. It was his foresight that led us to believe there was a nest of creatures there.”
“Indeed,” Keanu nodded. Although there was some skepticism during the meeting, the heir’s words were ultimately correct. Moreover, it was said that he had even manifested holy power during this campaign.
“On top of that, the heir used holy power.”
“Now Mahart is bound to flourish.”
The neutral elders and the heir’s faction exchanged pleasantries. Everyone spoke in unison about the achievements of the Silver Knights and the heir.
Then, the heir and his spouse entered the party. Keanu welcomed the main guests of the evening with a delighted expression.
“Welcome, young lord. And…”
Keanu’s gaze shifted to Elia.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess.”
“Sorry for the late introduction, Elder.”
Elia smiled gently.
“I heard you were unwell, but I’m glad to see you’ve recovered.”
“Thanks for your concern.”
Keanu’s eyes slowly scrutinized Elia. As the wife of the heir, she was an official member of the Mahart family and could not avoid Keanu’s scrutiny. But the time for that had not yet come.
“By the way, where is the spirit master who was instrumental in the campaign?”
Keanu looked around, but there was no one who appeared to be the spirit master. Aksion responded on Elia’s behalf.
“She is one of my wife’s people. She had to return to her hometown due to an urgent family matter.”
“Unfortunate timing. I’ll be sure to commend her later.”
“I’ll convey your message.”
Even after the conversation with the elder ended, people continued to talk about Aksion’s holy power. However, given the nature of the gathering, there were those who did not favor the heir and his wife.
“She was bedridden for days, wasn’t she? Can she even bear children in such a condition?”
Tsk, tsk. The sound of someone clicking their tongue silenced the surroundings. It was Marcus, one of the elders.
